Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)

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    The Role of Relationship Marketing in Supporting Student Retention Efforts of Private Non-Profit Liberal Arts Institutions in Higher Education
    (ProQuest, 2016-07-10) Jeffrey, Thomas
    Institutions in higher education are facing increased competition. A consumer-oriented business perspective is necessary because of shifts in expectations and accountability occurring throughout the internal and external market forces of higher education. This is a paradigm shift in how higher education has traditionally viewed the student-institution relationship and has created a need to better understand the marketing concepts that focus on the student as a customer. Low student retention rates is one area of concern where marketing can be of benefit to private, four year, non-profit liberal arts institutions. The purpose of this study is to explore whether the value proposition of a liberal education is being communicated to existing students and what types of relationship marketing strategies are used for retention efforts at such institutions. In particular, the study seeks to understand how institutions are communicating the value of a liberal education by utilizing the core elements of relationship marketing, such as, co-creation of value, personalization of messages, and the development of commitment among existing students. This study finds that all participating institutions communicate the holistic and epistemic value of a liberal education through all of its various constructs to existing students. This result appears to be contradicted by the finding that significantly fewer institutions communicated with existing students as a means of instilling pride in attending a liberal arts institution. Other findings from this study show that institutions do communicate with existing students as a means of showcasing institutional quality and developing emotional commitment. In terms of relationship marketing with existing students, participating institutions indicated that they created channels for interaction, used customized messages, and made assurances that the student’s needs would be heard and responded to appropriately. This finding, however, appears less positive in light of further findings which indicate participating institutions are much more likely to use methods of mass distribution of messages in traditional mediums. Findings from this study may be useful for informing administrators and marketing directors in higher education about the potential of relationship marketing as a tool to create awareness and develop expectations among existing students about the value of a liberal arts education as they progress towards their academic and career goals.